Apple CEO apologizes to Somali teenagers kicked out of Apple Store for fear they "might steal something"

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Tim Cook has emailed all of Apple's staff worldwide to comment on the 'unacceptable incident' where a group of black teens were asked to leave an Apple Store.

The teens were told by security staff 'they're just a bit worried you might steal something,' leading to an outcry online.

Cook today told Apple's staff 'What people have seen and heard from watching the video on the web does not represent our values' and revealed store bosses around the world, starting in Australia, will be 'refreshing their training on inclusion and customer engagement.'

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Six black students were asked to leave an Apple store in Highpoint shopping centre in north-west Melbourne over concerns they 'might steal something'. Today, Tim Cook apologised in an email to staff.

 

 'I'm sure you are all aware of the unacceptable incident which took place at our store at the Highpoint shopping center in Melbourne, Australia, on Tuesday,' Cook said, according to Buzzfeed.

'Several young men, who are students at a nearby school, had been asked by a security guard to leave the store. In an attempt to address the situation, one of our store employees gave an answer which shocked many of us.'

'It is not a message we would ever want to deliver to a customer or hear ourselves. Our employee immediately expressed his regret and apologized to the students.'

The African-born students at the centre of a 'racial profiling' scandal have since recounted the moment they were asked to leave an Apple store over concerns they 'might steal something'.

The Year 10 students are now pushing for a formal apology after they had been asked to leave an Apple store in Highpoint shopping centre, north-west Melbourne, around 4.30pm on Tuesday.

'[it happened] because we were a group of black males, teenagers - and teenagers do a lot of stupid stuff, but you still can't give black people that stereotype,' one of the Year 10 students, Abdulahi Haji Ali, told Nine News.

The students, who attend Maribyrnong College in Melbourne's inner-west, are all originally from Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, Eritrea and Egypt.

Cook revealed that the manager of the store had since met the teens.

 

Cook described the incident as 'unacceptable' in an email to staff.

 

 'None of us are happy with the way this was handled. But we can all be proud of Kate, one of the senior managers at the Highpoint store.

'On Wednesday, she greeted the same group of students to express a heartfelt apology on behalf of our store and our company.

'She reassured these young men that they and their fellow classmates would always be welcome at our store.

'The school's principal later told a reporter that she delivered her message 'with good grace,' and one of the students said, 'It feels like we have justice now.'

The students caught the incident on camera on Tuesday afternoon and uploaded it to Facebook that night.

The 19 second clip has since gone viral, with almost 100,000 views on one of the student's private account.

 

The Year 10 students (pictured) are pushing for a formal apology after they had been asked to leave an Apple store in Highpoint shopping centre, north-west Melbourne, around 4.30pm on Tuesday

 

Pictured is the Apple store at Highpoint shopping centre in north-west Melbourne where the incident took place on Tuesday

 

'These guys are just a bit worried about your presence in our store,' security at the Apple store is heard saying in the footage.

When the boys, taken aback, asked for what reason they were being asked to leave, security responded: 'They're just a bit worried you might steal something.'

The six boys gasped: 'Why would we steal something?'

'Guys, end of discussion, I need to ask you to leave our store.'

Cook pointed out the Apple Store Highpoint is staffed by people from Australia, as well as Egypt, Italy, India and five other nations.

'Collectively they speak 15 languages, including Urdu, Portuguese, Arabic and Mandarin,' he said.

Cook said the firm had 'a simple pledge we all make to our customers and to ourselves: Apple is open.

 

'[it happened] because we were a group of black males, teenagers - and teenagers do a lot of stupid stuff, but you still can't give black people that stereotype,' one of the students, Abdulahi Haji Ali (pictured), said

 

Mabior Atar said 'it's not fair'. 'Not everybody is a bad person because of what they look like,' he said

 

'Our stores and our hearts are open to people from all walks of life, regardless of race or religion, gender or sexual orientation, age, disability, income, language or point of view.

'All across our company, being inclusive and embracing our differences makes our products better and our stores stronger.'

 

'We have the right to go in and look around like anyone else,' Gereng Dere (pictured) said

 

Each of the boys said they owned Apple products. Though they said they don't blame the whole company for one employee's actions, they are asking for a formal apology

 

Abdulahi said that although it was only one employee behind the incident, the group want a formal apology from the company, according to SBS.

Mabior Atar said 'it's not fair'.

'Not everybody is a bad person because of what they look like,' he told Nine News.

'We have the right to go in and look around like anyone else,' Gereng Dere said.

Despite the negative encounter, the students have taken the opportunity to ensure it changes attitudes across Australia.

'I'd just like to thank everybody that supported us and just hope that we raised awareness for racial profiling,' Mabior said.

'People have to see this. So that people are aware [so] that this never happens again,' Ese Oseghale told SBS News.

'I was just really shocked, I was in disbelief. I didn't believe the employee said that, I thought I was daydreaming,' Abdulahi told SBS.

Each of the boys said they owned Apple products.

 

Accompanied by the Maribyrnong College principal Nick Scott, the boys returned to the Apple store on Wednesday afternoon and a senior manager apologised

 

'It's clear to me they've experienced this kind of thing before,' Mr Scott (left) said. 'They know it for what it is and they certainly felt they wanted to record this incident and I congratulate them for it'

 

Accompanied by the Maribyrnong College principal Nick Scott, the boys returned to the Apple store on Wednesday afternoon and a senior manager apologised, according to Sydney Morning Herald.

'It's clear to me they've experienced this kind of thing before,' Mr Scott told SBS.

'They know it for what it is and they certainly felt they wanted to record this incident and I congratulate them for it.'

 

 

 

'These guys are just a bit worried about your presence in our store,' security at the Apple store is heard saying in the footage. When the boys asked for what reason, security responded: 'They're just a bit worried you might steal something'

The six boys all gasped when they were told to leave over concerns they 'might steal something'. 'Guys, end of discussion, I need to ask you to leave our store,' the Apple security responded

Most viewers call the incident 'blatant racism', though others are sceptical of what happened prior to the video recording.

A manager at the Highpoint Apple store reportedly told Nine News that the boys 'were being silly, rowdy, and were touching a number of items.'

However, the boys rejected that.

It was reportedly a private security guard hired by Apple who first raised concerns about the teenagers, and an Apple employee shown in the video speaking with the boys.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

[Mooge]

niyoow Australia is giving many problems to somalis. few weeks ago a somali girl was crying she was carrying rape child and she could not get medical help from Australian government. what a bunch of racist people in that country.